Cristiano Ronaldo is set to return but Fred and Edinson Cavani will miss out when Manchester United take on Leicester City on Saturday.
Manchester United will be desperate to return to winning ways when they lock horns with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon. And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The international break has claimed three scalps for Manchester United, with Raphael Varane being the major absentee after sustaining a groin injury while representing France in the UEFA Nations League. In addition, Fred and Edinson Cavani will be unavailable as they are returning late from Brazil and Uruguay duties, respectively.
As for the good news, Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford are nearing their returns from their respective injuries. In fact, Rashford will be involved in some capacity against Leicester on Saturday as confirmed by Solskjaer while speaking to the Manchester United media.
The Manchester United manager also provided an update on Maguire, saying, “Harry was on the grass this morning and that was the first day out there. He’s [Rashford] in the squad, yes.”
“If he’s going to start or not, I can’t tell you now because it wouldn’t be right but he’s worked really hard throughout the whole lay-off. He’s been really bright this week, he had a 60-minute involvement in a behind-closed-doors game last week so he’s fit and raring to go.”
Solskjaer also spoke about the injury Varane picked up during his pre-match press conference, saying, “Yeah, you know the international breaks are sometimes a time to cross your fingers and hope for the best. Because as we see with Raphael, he’s got an injury, out for a few weeks, but then again Victor and Eric played in the internationals and got good game time so that was good for us.”
Maguire is unlikely to be fit enough to start, and with Varane sidelined, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly pick themselves as the central defensive partnership. Out wide, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are certainties as the two full-backs while David de Gea is an automatic pick between the sticks.
Up ahead in midfield, Fred’s absence could prompt Solskjaer to deploy Paul Pogba in the double pivot, with Scott McTominay being his partner. So, on the left wing, Jadon Sancho ought to get a chance to impress, coming into the side in place of Anthony Martial.
Bruno Fernandes will reprise his usual no. 10 role while Mason Greenwood ought to start on the right flank once again. Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo will return to the starting lineup, leading the line for Manchester United against Leicester City on Saturday.
Predicted Manchester United XI: de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw; McTominay, Pogba; Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho; Ronaldo
